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Comparison of Movement Detection Data Before and After the Chronograph Function Turning On

Most of the chronographs, when the timing function is turned on, simultaneously drive two sets of gears, which is equivalent to pulling a car before a horse, and now it becomes two cars. The watch will go slower when the other conditions are the same.

We used the instrument to test a new Rolex Daytona ceramic watch, the chronograph function is not turned on, the watch will be 0.6 seconds slower every day, and it will be 1.6 seconds slower every day after the chronograph is turned on.

But in addition to this, the biggest impact after starting the chronograph function is the swing of the watch balance wheel, because the gears that are driven increase and the friction increases, so the swing will decrease. For example, the above Daytona has a 10° drop in the swing time. Under other conditions, the swing is low, which means that the watch is more susceptible to external shocks, resulting in precision errors.

It is worth mentioning that a lower swing does not mean that the watch is slower. In actual wear, the watch that reduces the swing may become slower or may become faster after being disturbed by the outside world. However, after the chronograph function is turned on, the watch is definitely more prone to precision errors than before.

POWER RESERVE

Most of the chronographs are two different gear trains, but the energy source is the same. After the chronograph function is activated, under the total amount of energy source not change, it is naturally consumed. To make a metaphor, just like a person eating alone in the family, now that the family’s total income has not increased, after adding one person, naturally, the monthly living expenses will be consumed a little faster. That is to say, after the time is turned on, the watch will stop running in advance without the energy being continuously replenished.

GEAR WEAR

Chronograph Watches with Horizontal Clutch

The timing transmission mode of the chronograph is mainly divided into two types, one is “horizontal clutch” and the other is “vertical clutch”, in which horizontal clutch is the most common. The principle of horizontal clutch is very simple, that is, the travel time wheel (red) and the drive wheel (green) are coupled. When the button is pressed to start the timing function, the drive wheel recouples the chronograph seconds wheel according to the direction of the yellow arrow (blue color). Once the coupling is successful, it means that the energy of the second wheel is passed to the chronograph second wheel, and the timing function is turned on.

Gear When Chronograph Function Is Switched

The biggest drawback of this horizontal clutch is that it suddenly couples a continuously operating gear to a stationary gear. It is good when the gear teeth are coupled successfully, but if the gear tips just hit together, it is easy to wear the gears. At the same time, at the moment of impact, the front of chronograph second hand will slightly tremble.

To this end, we deliberately took a small chronograph movement to start the gear coupling small video, you can clearly see the two gears of the wheel tip hit together, after a moment, the coupling is successful.

Broken Gears

When the chronograph function is frequently switched, in addition to normal wear and tear, it may even cause the teeth to bend and break.

STEEL FRACTURE

Chronograph Watches With Steel Fracture

As mentioned earlier, the use of a chronograph with a horizontal clutch causes the gear to wear and even the teeth to deform and break. There may be a friend who asks, is there a chronograph for the vertical clutch device that does not have this concern?

Yes, the chronograph using the vertical clutch does not have to worry about gear wear, but it still has the weakness that the steel used for switching will break after frequent use.

Because it involves a lot of boring mechanical knowledge, so let’s conclude. For the chronograph, if you don’t care about the accuracy and power reserve time, you can always turn on the chronograph function. However, do not start, pause, or return to zero frequently. If you play this for a long time, it will cause gear wear or steel fracture.

Many watch friends like to use the manual mechanical movement watch, which is exactly an opportunity to have a “communication” with the watch every day. As a living thing, when you give it energy, it will “feed back” to the wearer in the form of travel time. The “feedback” of the watch to the person, in addition to being obtained through the winding, but can also be sensed by operating the “timekeeping” or “minute-repeater” function. For example, pressing the chronograph button, the chronograph second hand starts to move immediately; when the lever is pulled up, the hammer hits the gong to make a sound.

The minute repeater is too far away from the general public, and the chronograph is naturally the most suitable option. Because of the complicated mechanical operation involved, many watch friends have some misunderstandings and puzzles about the use of chronograph watches. Today this article will talk about related stories, when the chronograph function is always on, does it hurt the watch?

Patek Philippe Chronograph Watch

Once, a watch friend asked me a strange problem with the watch he just bought. The second hand of the watch does not work, but the minute hand and the hour hand can display the normal time. After taking a small video to show me, I did not find any abnormalities, the second hand, minute hand, hour hand are clearly working. Then I learned that the “second hand” he refers to is actually the “chronograph second hand” in the center of the chronograph watch. He regards the chronograph watch as an ordinary three pin watch.

Chronograph Watches with Different Dial Layouts

Because chronographs are usually based on manual basic movements and superimposed mechanical parts, so our common chronograph dials are usually such a layout: the small dial at 9 o’clock is the travel time second hand, and the middle is the hour and minute hands. As an obsessive-compulsive disorder, this layout must not be accepted, so the travel time second hand moved from the 9 o’clock position to the 6 o’clock position. For example, the old model Daytona using the Valjoux 72 calibre and the Zenith movement’s make the second hand at 9 o’clock, and now Daytona uses the self-produced Cal.4130 is at 6 o’clock. Of course, there are also some watches that adopt with the superimposed timing module. Its travel time second hand will be at 12 o’clock or 3 o’clock, such as Audemars Piguet Offshore and TAG Heuer chronograph watches.

As the most important function of the chronograph watches, it will be naturally paid more attention. Firstly, in order to facilitate the reading time (the longer the hand is, the larger the dial is, the more convenient it is); secondly, the second hand is conveniently compared with the scale on the outer bezel and the dial to obtain the test result; finally, the second hand chronograph is used frequently. So almost all the chronographs are placed in the middle of the chronograph second hand. For the common three pin, this position is placed with the second hand. When the chronograph is not turned on or the time is paused, the central “chronograph second hand” is naturally at rest.

Many watch friends who have worn a three pin watch will feel very uncomfortable when they switch to the chronograph. When they look at the big second hand in the middle, they think their watch has stopped. Even if I later knew that the middle second hand was a chronograph second hand that was needed to use alone, their heart was still very uncomfortable. In this case, many watch friends will open the chronograph function and use the chronograph second hand as the travel time second hand. So, does this hurt the watch?

In 2009, Patek Philippe ended its 122-year partnership with the Geneva Seal. At the time, the Geneva Seal only covered origin and retouching techniques, which was slightly outdated. In order to keep up with the pace of continuous development of the watchmaking world and the increasingly high demands of excellence, Patek Philippe created its own unique seal. In 2012, the Geneva Seal also ushered in a new era, becoming more rigorous and more in line with the spirit of the times. So the question is coming, Geneva Seal VS Patek Philippe Seal, which one is better?

Geneva Seal

The Geneva Seal requires that watches must be made in Geneva and adhere to strict retouching standards. Substrates, bridges, gemstones, screws, and wheel trains must be removed from the machine marks, and they should be beautifully retouched, leaving people a pleasing feeling.

Now, the Geneva Seal also requires functional testing. Test all watch functions to ensure proper operation. Check the parts to ensure that the calendar is in normal challenge, hour-minute-second can function normally, the timing can start, stop and reset normally, and so on.

Water resistance is now also a factor to consider, and watches bearing the Geneva Seal must pass a test of at least 3 bar (about 30 meters). In terms of accuracy, the error of the watch should not exceed one minute after seven days. The power reserve is also tested to ensure that the minimum guaranteed value is met.

Patek Philippe Seal

The Patek Philippe Seal not only covers the movement, but also the case, dial, hands, buttons and lugs (metal bars for fixing the bracelet), taking the certification to a new level, and requiring that every component should adhere to the strict specifications. The edges of the substrate and the bridge must be mirror-polished, with the Geneva side of the bridge visible and the rounded grain on the inside. Patek Philippe also set up a special imprint committee and supervisory committee to ensure that all timepiece models are strictly enforced.

Similar to the Geneva Seal, the Patek Philippe Seal also requires testing of the functions of the finished watch. After the case is assembled with the movement, the entire watch speed needs to be tested. After 24 hours, the movement error of a diameter exceeding 20 mm should not exceed -3 / +2 seconds; the movement error of a diameter less than 20 mm should not exceed -5 / +4 seconds; the movement error of the tourbillon should not exceed -2 / +1 second.

The Patek Philippe Seal does not specifically mention the water resistance and power reserve, but we can safely assume that all watches are tested for accuracy and reliability.

The Patek Philippe Seal also covers material standards, and all alloys and gems used should be of the highest quality without compromise. All diamonds must meet the flawless top Wesselton (G-grade) standard.

The case must not have sharp edges or protruding gems to avoid scratching.

The most important aspect of certification is reliability. In any case, it should be not compromise, and all retouching must follow this basic principle.

Summary:

In fact, the standards of the Geneva Seal have been revised to be more rigorous and more in line with the spirit of modern watchmaking. Of course, the Patek Philippe Seal is more and more strict currently and it will continue to be superior in the foreseeable future.